Pokémon – Thunder Yellow
Fanfiction By – Spirit Reader
Pokémon Original Creator – Satoshi Tajiri
Chapter 8: The Brave Little Bird – Part 1
Takashi's Pokémon
Pikachu (Male)
Froakie (Female)
"Alright…Come and get it guys!"
The Viridian Forest is famous within the Kanto Region for the large number of Bug-Type Pokémon that reside there. These Pokémon range from the tiniest Weedle to the largest Pinsir. Because of that it's extremely rare for any Trainer to encounter a wild Pokémon that isn't a Bug-Type while within the forest. However, within a hidden section of the Viridian Forest resides a safe haven for a small collection of Pokémon that are rarely seen here, but are fairly common everywhere else. These Pokémon were none other than the Flying-Type.
Being the natural enemies of Bug-Type Pokémon, it's not surprising that Flying-Type Pokémon would make their home within the Viridian Forest and for a long time that was indeed the case. These Flying Pokémon would constantly attack the defenseless Bug Pokémon and devour them in order to feed their own bellies. It was a case of survival of the fittest and for a while, things were all right. Unfortunately, as time passed by, the natural balance within the Viridian Forest began to change.
Although most Bug-Type Pokémon are considered to be a pest in the eyes of most people, they are actually quite vital, especially within places like the Viridian Forest. They keep the environment in balance by breaking down and disposing of dead waste, whether it be plants or Pokémon that have passed away. Without them around, all that waste would accumulate and it would be bad for everyone. So, in order to maintain the balance within the Viridian Forest, many high ranking individuals used various means to drive out a majority of the Flying-Type Pokémon that resided there. Although this was unfortunate for the Flying-Type Pokémon, it was a necessary evil in order to maintain the balance.
However, despite most of the Flying-Type Pokémon being successfully driven out of the Viridian Forest, a small group of them managed to stick around. Knowing that it would only be a matter of time before these Pokémon would be found, a small family decided to make it their mission to hide these Pokémon and keep them safe from harm. To that end, they secluded themselves within the darkest section of the Viridian Forest, a place where no one ever goes, and remained there ever since.
For over 30 years, the family that's been watching over the Flying-Type Pokémon has been able to them hidden as various Pokémon Trainers went about their respective Journeys. Currently, one member was busy walking around her home, feeding the various birds that made this place their home. This woman, who had flowing red hair and soft blue eyes, was named Ariel and she was only granddaughter of the one who originally created this safe haven.
"Eat up everyone," She said with a loving smile on her face. "Remember, breakfast is the most important meal of the day."
As she watched the collection of various Flying-Type Pokémon gather around her, Ariel gladly handed them each a fair share of Pokémon Food that she made especially for them. Having known these Pokémon ever since she was an infant, Ariel was extremely fond of them and was determined to keep them safe from harm until the time came for them leave and live out their own lives.
Eventually, after she finished feeding all the Pokémon present, Ariel checked up on each of them individually in order to make sure they were all healthy. As she did so however, the young woman suddenly noticed that one of them was missing. Although she thought she simply overlooked it, Ariel soon realized that this particular Pokémon was indeed gone. Fortunately for her, she knew just who this Pokémon was and where to look for it.
"Pidgey!"
Within the entire Pokémon World it's generally accepted that most common Flying-Type Pokémon are Pidgey. A primarily docile Pokémon who would rather flee than fight, Pidgey are typically found all across the world's various regions and are typically the first Pokémon that new Trainers capture in order to test themselves. Having a large collection of them herself, Ariel knew just how to handle them. Unfortunately, out all the Pidgey she had, there was one who simply wasn't like all the others and that was one Ariel was searching for right now.
Soon, after making her way into another section of the Viridian Forest, Ariel came across a wide open space where she finally managed to find Pidgey. She watched the Tiny Bird Pokémon fly all across the area with great speed, trying its best to go faster and faster with each move it made. While impressed by this display of talent that it was showing, Ariel knew that having Pidgey in an open area like this would be very bad. As a result, she decided to do something about it before things got too complicated.
To that end, Ariel pulled out a PokéBall that she had on her person and threw high into the high. Upon opening, the ball unleashed a small blast of light energy that quickly transformed into a small Flying-Type Pokémon with blue and red feathers and a white underbelly. This Pokémon was called a Taillow, a common Flying Pokémon that's typically found within the Hoenn Region.
"Taillow, get Pidgey down here now!"
Nodding its head in compliance, Taillow rushed over towards Pidgey with tremendous speed. However, upon spotting both it and Ariel, a small smirk suddenly appeared on Pidgey's face as it began racing against Taillow all around the forest. The two Pokémon were nearly evenly matched with one another, neither one giving even an inch. It was awesome display of flying prowess, but as things continued, Ariel decided to end things now before it was too late.
"Taillow, use Air Slash!" She commanded.
Stopping for a moment, Taillow raised both its wings up into the air as a spiraling light blue orb of energy started to form in between them. Taillow then threw the orb towards Pidgey, who saw the attack and tried its best to avoid it. Just as the attack was about to make contact, Pidgey suddenly took a nosedive, causing the orb to miss and hit a tree instead. Unfortunately, Pidgey's victory was short lived as one of the branches from that tree hit the little bird in the head, causing it to lose control and fall towards the ground.
Upon seeing this, Ariel waved her arms repeatedly, informing Taillow that it needed to catch Pidgey before it hit the ground. Getting the message, the Tiny Swallow Pokémon raced towards the fallen Pidgey and managed to catch it by using its own body. Taillow then landed right next to Aerial, who proceeded to pick up Pidgey and hold it in the palm of her hand.
"Great job Taillow," She said with a small smile. "Go on and take a rest."
Smiling in approval, Taillow nodded at Ariel one last time as she watched her pick up its PokéBall and call forth the red beam that converted it back into light energy. Once Taillow was returned to its ball, Ariel put it away and watched as the little bird was beginning to regain consciousness. As soon as it did however, Pidgey watched as Ariel was giving it a rather firm look, causing it to cringe a little.
"Pidgey, how many times have I told you not to go out by yourself?! You know you're not allowed to be out here!"
While watching Ariel chew her out about leaving their home, Pidgey tried its best to tune her out. It was the first time that the Tiny Bird Pokémon had left in order to practice its flying skills and it wouldn't be the last. Because of that, Pidgey decided to cut the lecture short for today and simply return back home.
As she watched it fly away, Ariel let out a small sigh as Pidgey's attitude was starting to become a problem for her to deal with. Although she liked that this particular Pidgey was a lot more confident was willing to defend itself in a fight, she didn't appreciate that it would go out its way to cause problems for her and their family. This caused her to wonder what she was going to do with Pidgey as she knew that this couldn't continue for much longer.
Soon, just Ariel and Pidgey were about to make it back home, both of them heard a loud cry coming from the direction in which they were headed. Then, before they had a chance to figure out what was going on, they watch as a few of the Flying Pokémon that Ariel has been looking after was flying past them. Each of them had a scared and frantic look on their face, indicating that something was very wrong. Because of that, both Pidgey and Ariel raced back to their home in order to find out what was going on.
By the time the two of them arrived at the scene, both Ariel and Pidgey looked on in shocked as a large Flying-Type Pokémon with brown feathers and a long pointed beak was busy attacking all of the other Flying Pokémon. This Pokémon was known other than a Fearow, the evolved form of the Tiny Bird Pokémon, Spearow. Upon seeing this powerful Pokémon cause so much trouble, Aerial wondered what was going on here and who was behind it.
However, before Ariel could ponder this situation any further, the young woman watched as Pidgey instantly flew up and headed straight for Fearow. When she saw the little Pokémon do that, Ariel's eyes widen from shock as she attempted to reach out to it.
"Wait Pidgey…!" She called out too. "Don't do it!"
Pidgey refused to listen to Ariel's pleas. The Tiny Bird Pokémon had no idea what was going on, but it wasn't about to let Fearow attack its home and harm its friends. Because of that, once it close enough, Pidgey started flapping its tiny wings so fast that it created a small windstorm. Due to its larger size, Fearow was completely unaffected by the attack, but its attention did shift towards Pidgey.
As the two Flying-Type Pokémon stared each other down, Pidgey tried its best to keep its composure in the face of Fearow's intimidating presence. Even though the two of them hadn't started battling yet, it was quite clear that Fearow was several time more powerful than Pidgey and could defeat it at any given moment. Despite that however, Pidgey refused to give in the fears that it was having and it soon recklessly charged towards its opponent with a Quick Attack. Unfortunately, when the blow made contact, Fearow was completely unaffected.
Once that was done, Fearow responded to Pidgey's attack by slamming its large beak right in the middle of the tiny Pokémon's chest. The attack was so devastating that Pidgey started falling down from the sky like a meteor. When Ariel saw this, the young woman immediately started running towards her little friend and managed to dive down and catch it before it hit the ground. She then looked over at Pidgey and saw that Fearow's attack inflicted a great deal of damage upon it.
Angered by the sight of all this destruction, Ariel glared fiercely at Fearow and prepared to bring out her Taillow in order to confront it. However, just as she was about to pull out its PokéBall, something suddenly knocked it out of her hand. Confused by what just happened, Ariel examined the area around her and soon saw something emerge from the forest. This individual was a man dressed entirely in black, with the only coloring was a large and red letter R that was placed on his chest. After coming from the shadows, the man looked at Ariel before giving her a sly and devious smile.
"So…the rumors were true," He said. "There is a secret haven of rare Flying-Type Pokémon here. I'm glad to see that my information wasn't wrong."
"Who…Who are you?" Ariel questioned. "What do you want?"
The mysterious man didn't respond to Ariel's question right away. Instead, all he did was let out a small whistle, which instantly caught Fearow's attention. The large Flying-Type soon stopped attacking all of the other Flying Pokémon that were present and immediately landed right in front of the man in black, indicating that he was its Trainer.
"…I'll just cut to the chase, miss. My name is Kaze and this is my partner Fearow. As you can see from this quick demonstration, my friend and I can destroy this little home yours anytime we see fit. However, I'm a nice guy and I'm willing to give you an opportunity to prevent that. All you have to do is hand over all of the Flying-Type Pokémon you currently have on you. Do that and I'll let you go…but refuse and I may have to get a little rough on you."
After Kaze finished giving his ultimatum, he gave Ariel a minute to think it over before making a decision. However, it took the young woman less than a second to come up with an answer. She was entrusted with the protection of this sanctuary by her father, who was entrusted by his own father. This was a sacred place to her family and she wasn't about to hand it over to anyone. The only problem is that she had no idea on how to deal with Kaze and his powerful Fearow, especially with only Pokémon out of arm's reach of her.
As Ariel pondered about this plight of hers, Pidgey was slowly beginning to regain consciousness and saw that Fearow was still in around. It also saw that the PokéBall that contained Ariel's Taillow was on the ground, not that far away from them. When it saw this, the Tiny Bird Pokémon instantly understood the situation that they were in and responded the only way it could.
"Time's up little girl. Now, are you going to hand over the Pokémon or-"
Just before Kaze could finished his sentence, Pidgey instantly sat up and made a beeline towards him and his Fearow. While Ariel was shocked by the sight of this and attempted to stop her little friend, the young woman watched as Pidgey glanced back at her for a moment. When she saw that, Ariel knew right away what Pidgey was planning and although she didn't like it she knew it was the only way. With that in mind, Ariel reluctantly made her way towards her PokéBall while Pidgey continued charging towards Kaze and Fearow.
"How foolish…Fearow, blast that little fool away with your Hyper Beam."
With a slight nod, Fearow quickly knocked Pidgey aside once it got close enough before launching it high into the air with its strong beak. The large Flying-Type then proceeded to open said beak and unleash a massive blast of purple and black energy. The beam quickly struck Pidgey, sending it flying across a vast distance of the Viridian Forest. Once it was out of sight, both Kaze and Fearow turned their attention back towards Aerial.
Upon looking at her however, both Kaze and Fearow looked on as Ariel was busy glaring at the two of them with tears in her eyes. Having seen what they've done to Pidgey, the young woman was beyond upset, so much so that she began hurting her hand as she firmly gripped the PokéBall that she was holding. Not wanting to see anyone else get hurt, Ariel threw the PokéBall and watched as her Taillow emerged from it, ready to fight. However, the sight of a new opponent only caused Kaze to shake his head in disappointment.
"So…It would seem that you're rejecting my offer."
Meanwhile, in another section of the Viridian Forest, Takashi Nakamura was continuing on his way to Pewter City for his first official Gym Battle. With his Pokémon partners Pikachu and Froakie by his side, the young Trainer was busy thinking about the battle he's going to be in and how he would best go about it. Even though the battle was still a while away, Takashi instinctively knew that he needed to be mentally prepared for it if he had any hope of winning.
As he continued to ponder about this, Takashi accidentally bumped into another Pokémon Trainer who went by the name of Momo. After apologizing for his lack of awareness, Takashi learned that Momo was also traveling around the Kanto Region, attempting to enter the Pokémon League by challenging Gyms. Since the two of them were after the same goal, Momo decided that this was a good opportunity to test herself and proceeded to challenge Takashi to a battle, to which he happily accepted.
Once the two of them made their way to an open space, Takashi went on to remove his hat and pull out his headband. After tying it tightly around his head, he promptly looked over towards Pikachu, who instantly got the signal and made his way onto the battlefield. The two of them then watched as Momo pulled out a PokéBall from her pocket and quickly threw it onto the battlefield as well.
"Butterfree, I choose you!"
As the PokéBall opened and unleashed a massive burst of light energy, Takashi watched as it quickly transformed into a giant butterfly with huge black and white wings, a purple body, and large red eyes. This was a Butterfree, a Pokémon Takashi had seen on several occasions due to them being fond of the flower garden that his mother, Haruka, had set up back in their home in Pallet Town. He then went on to pull out his PokéDex in order to get some information about this familiar Pokémon.
"Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokémon and the final evolved form of Caterpie," Dexter stated. "Butterfree is excellent at seeking out flowers with the most delicious nectar. It sometimes flies more than six miles to locate its favorite food. Butterfree is a Bug/Flying-Type Pokémon."
Once Dexter finally finished its explanation, Takashi quickly put his PokéDex back into his front pocket. He then examined Momo's Butterfree again and noticed how beautiful it looked. Although that didn't seem like much on the surface, Takashi knew that it meant that Momo had taken good care of it and raised it well. Because of that, both he and Pikachu needed to be careful if they wanted any chance of winning.
"Alright…Let's do this Butterfree!" Momo declared as she clinched both of her fists. "Start off with your String Shot!"
Almost instantly, Butterfree responded to its Trainer's command by firing a long strand of sticky string at Pikachu. Jumping back slightly, the Mouse Pokémon was able to successfully dodge the initial strike. He then examined it for a second before gently placing his paw on the stand. It instantly clung onto Pikachu, who used everything within his power to get it off of him. Just he finished doing that however, Pikachu watched as another strand of sticky string was headed right for him.
"Dodge it, Pikachu!" Takashi called out.
Not wasting any time, Pikachu skillfully sidestepped Butterfree's String Shot before racing towards the Bug-Type Pokémon. Once he saw that, Takashi immediately launched his counterattack.
"Now use Quick Attack!"
As he continued running towards his opponent, Pikachu suddenly picked up some speed and soon rammed his entire body into Butterfree's chest, the force of the impact knocking it down to the ground. Fortunately for Momo, that attack wasn't enough to take down her Pokémon, but it was also clear to her that she couldn't let Pikachu get any closer. With that in mind, she decided that she needed to create some distance.
"Don't let up Pikachu!" Takashi shouted. "Use Quick Attack again!"
"I won't let you!" Momo countered. "Butterfree, use Confusion!"
Just as Pikachu was about to connect with another lightning fast blow, Butterfree's eyes suddenly started glowing a light blue color. Then, just as it did that, Pikachu's body was suddenly surrounded by that same blue color and found himself unable to move at all. Upon seeing this, Takashi was greatly distressed by this turn of events, but not Momo. The young woman was very pleased as she knew that she had the advantage now.
"Good work! Now toss Pikachu around!"
Nodding its head in compliance, Butterfree used its psychic powers to push Pikachu into a nearby tree, dealing some massive damage onto the Electric Pokémon. However, instead of letting up, Butterfree immediately used its powers to slam Pikachu down onto the ground. It then continued this assault several more times, each blow gradually wearing down Pikachu's endurance.
Soon, after watching Pikachu get slammed onto the ground again, Takashi saw that his partner couldn't take another attack like that and that he needed to do something. The only problem though is that he didn't know what to do. Butterfree's Confusion attack had completely immobilized Pikachu, rendering all of his speed attacks useless. Fortunately, just as he came to that realization, another realization suddenly came over him.
"It's time to end this," Momo declared. "Butterfree, hold Pikachu in place and finish it off with your Psybeam!"
Letting out a small cry, Butterfree responded to its Trainer's command by strengthening its hold on Pikachu. Then, while its left eye continued glowing a light blue color, Butterfree's right eye now started glowing with all the colors of the rainbow. It was about to launch its attack and Takashi knew that it was now or never.
"Pikachu…Use all of your strength and fire off a Thunder Shock!"
With Butterfree just about to launch its attack, Pikachu gathered all the strength that he could possibly muster and fired off a powerful Thunder Shock. The attack was so great in fact that it broke through Butterfree's Confusion and managed to strike the Butterfly Pokémon, causing it to release its hold on Pikachu as the both fell to the ground. As they picked themselves back up though, both of their Trainers knew that they didn't have much left in the tank. The next attack would most likely end this battle, so they decided to bank of that one move.
"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!"
"Butterfree, use Psybeam!"
Responding to their respective Trainers, Pikachu and Butterfree gathered all of their remaining strength and prepared to launch their final attacks. While Pikachu was gathering all of its power into the tip of its tail, creating an orb of electricity as a result, both of Butterfree's eyes started glowing with a rainbow color. Once it finally built up enough power, Butterfree fired off a power beam of psychic energy just as Pikachu threw his Electro Ball. The two attacks then collided, creating a powerful clash.
At first, it seemed like the two attacks were about evenly matched. However, as they continued to clash, it was slowly becoming clear that Butterfree's Psybeam was beginning to overpower Pikachu's Electro Ball. This was because Butterfree was continually adding fuel to the attack. When he noticed that, Takashi knew that he had to do the same.
"Pikachu…You have to use Thunder Shock on your Electro Ball!"
Nodding his head in response to Takashi's words, Pikachu gathered all of his remaining energy and fired off one last Thunder Shock attack. When it connected with the Electro Ball, the orb of electricity suddenly became much bigger and found itself evenly matched with Butterfree's Psybeam again. Eventually though, the Electro Ball began to overpower the Psybeam and soon broke through it and struck Butterfree, sending it flying backwards.
Momo immediately rushed over towards Butterfree after watching it land hard onto the ground. As he looked at this, Takashi could tell that the Bug-Type was knocked out and couldn't battle anymore. That meant that he won the battle, much to his joy.
"Yes! We did it Pikachu!"
Pikachu slowly turned towards Takashi and smiled, happy that he was able to win the battle for him. However, fatigue was quickly settling in and the Mouse Pokémon soon found himself lying across the ground. Seeing that prompted Takashi race over towards Pikachu and pick him up, holding the Electric-Type in his arms.
While this was going on, Momo was checking up on her Butterfree. The Butterfly Pokémon was upset that it lost the battle for her, but Momo kindly assured it that everything was alright. She then went on to pull out Butterfree's PokéBall and it inside of it. Once she did that and put the ball away, Momo made her away over to Takashi and proceeded to extend her hand out towards him.
"Congratulations," She said with a kind smile. "That was a great battle,"
"…Same here," Takashi replied with a smile of his own. "Hope to battle you again in the future."
Taking his hand, Takashi gently grabbed Momo's and happily shook it. The battle they just had was very fun, as well as very informative. With the experience firmly etched into his mind, Takashi felt he has grown as a Trainer and was now even more prepared for his eventual Gym Battle in Pewter City.
Soon, the two Trainers parted ways and began walking off in opposite directions. As he walked, Takashi checked the map function on his PokéGear in order to see that he was going the right way. When he did, the young man saw that while that was the case, it would still take him quite a while for him to get out of the Viridian Forest. Although that disheartened him a little, Takashi decided the best thing he could do now is plan his next move. With that in mind, both he and Pikachu decided to take a break at a nearby open space.
Upon arriving at the space, Takashi gently put Pikachu down and checked to see if he was okay. Once he saw that he was, he then pulled out the PokéBall that contained his Froakie and proceeded to let out the Bubble Frog Pokémon. Takashi then went on to feed both of his Pokémon before sitting down near a tree and thinking quietly to himself.
"Okay…It's been about 2 weeks since I first left Pallet Town. I currently have 2 Pokémon in Pikachu and Froakie. If I'm going to ready for battle at the Pewter Gym, then perhaps I should try and capture another Pokémon before then. The only question is…what Pokémon should I capture?"
While Takashi continued thinking quietly to himself, Pikachu and Froakie continued eating their lunch. As they did so however, both Pokémon suddenly picked up on something thanks to their enhanced hearing. Unsure of what they heard, but compelled to find out, Pikachu and Froakie raced off towards the source of the noise. When he saw them leave from the corner of his eye, Takashi immediately got up and began chasing after his Pokémon.
"Guys wait!" He called out. "Where are you going?!"
As Takashi continued running after Pikachu and Froakie, he instantly got the feeling that something was not right. It was almost like his Pokémon was leading him to some kind of trouble. Soon enough, the three of them came across something lying on the ground. Upon a closer inspection, Takashi saw that it was a gravely injured Pidgey and, without wasting a single moment, began to treat it as best as he could.
While their Trainer tended to the Pidgey's injuries, both Pikachu and Froakie began staring out into the distance. Both of them sensed that something wasn't right and that there was danger nearby. They also sensed that whoever was behind this disturbance was very powerful, causing them to wonder what was going on. Eventually, as they continued to ponder about this, Takashi just finished tending to Pidgey, prompting both Pikachu and Froakie to rush back over to him.
As the three of them looked down at the sleeping Pidgey, Takashi began pondering something to himself. From what he could tell, this Pidgey got into the massive fight. This was rather confusing as, from what he knew, most Pidgey would rather avoid conflict. Wondering if he was wrong, Takashi pulled out Dexter from his pocket and checked the PokéDex in order to see what was up.
"Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. Pidgey is very docile. If attacked, it will often kick up sand to protect itself rather than fight back. Pidgey is a Normal/Flying-Type Pokémon."
Once Dexter finished its explanation, Takashi placed the device back into his pocket before turning his attention back towards Pidgey. Like he assumed, most Pidgey hate fighting and would rather avoid it if possible. Because of that, the young Trainer was left somewhat confused by this Pidgey's injuries as it was clear that they came from a fight. Before he could ponder it further however, Pikachu alerted to Takashi that Pidgey was beginning to wake up.
Upon slowly opening its eyes, the first thing Pidgey saw was Takashi and his Pokémon. Seeing them completely surround it caused the tiny Pokémon to panic and jumped back a few paces as result. It then assumed a fighting position, prompting Takashi to extend his hands out as a sign of no ill will.
"Easy little guy…" He said in a calm tone of voice. "We're not here to hurt you, I promise."
Takashi's words did little to dissuade Pidgey, as it was still too riled up from what happened earlier. Even when both Pikachu and Froakie vouched for him didn't change the Flying-Type's mind. This soon prompted Pidgey to try and attack Takashi, but was quickly intercepted by Froakie.
"Hey, listen to me! We're not here to fight you, Pidgey! Please calm down!"
Again, Pidgey ignored Takashi's words and attempted to attack him again. Like before, Froakie intercepted the attack and it soon became clear to her that words weren't going to end this conflict. She was going to need to fight and, upon looking back over to Takashi, attempted to convey that to him.
Although he was very reluctant to fight an injured opponent, especially one like Pidgey, Takashi soon realized that he didn't have a choice anymore. Because of that, the young man decided that he would end the battle quickly and try not to injure Froakie any more than he had too.
"Fine then…" He said reluctantly. "But you asked for this. Froakie…use Pound attack!"
Nodding her head in compliance, Froakie jumped towards Pidgey and prepared to strike it with her paw. However, before the attack could connect, Pidgey flew up and managed to evade it. It then launched a Quick Attack, diving towards Froakie at an incredible speed.
"Dodge it Froakie and use Bubble!"
Using her incredible jumping skills, Froakie managed to skillfully dodge Pidgey's attack before proceeding to land on a nearby tree branch. As she turned around and saw Pidgey coming around for another attack, Froakie went on to take a deep breath before spewing out a large barrage of highly dense bubbles from her mouth. Although Pidgey managed to avoid some of them, the Tiny Bird Pokémon was simply too weak to dodge them all and was quickly overwhelmed as a result.
After seeing Pidgey fall to the ground, Takashi hoped that would be the end and that he could go back to tending to its wounds. Unfortunately, Pidgey simply refused to stay down. The weakened Flying-Type slowly got back to its feet and tried its best to unleash a Gust attack by flapping its wings. Sadly, the only thing Pidgey managed to do was create a gentle breeze, prompting Froakie to calmly walk over and knock it down with a Pound attack.
As Pidgey struggled to get back up, Froakie looked over at Takashi with a concerned expression on her face. It was clear to the Bubble Frog Pokémon that this battle was over and that anymore fighting would be pointless. Takashi agreed with this sentiment and tried to figure out a way to end this now before things got of hand. Eventually, as he continued to watch Pidgey stagger around, an idea popped into his head.
Reaching towards his belt, Takashi grabbed an empty PokéBall that was attached to it and pressed the button in the middle. As the ball expanded until it fit entirely in his hand, he looked over towards Pidgey and saw that it was about to launch another Quick Attack at Froakie. Just as it was about to take off however, Takashi threw the PokéBall at the Flying Pokémon. When it struck it, the ball opened and Pidgey was converted into red energy. After that, Pidgey was sucked into the PokéBall as it closed back up and fell onto the ground.
As both he and his Pokémon watched the PokéBall wiggle back and forth, Takashi simply looked on with a mixed expression on his face. Unlike with Froakie, he felt no enjoyment in this battle. The only reason why he decided to capture Pidgey is because it simply wouldn't stop fighting. Something was clearly driving this Pokémon will beyond its limits and Takashi had a feeling that it was something very important. However, the only way he could find out what that was is to end the battle and catching Pidgey was the only way he knew how.
Eventually, after a few more seconds of waiting, the PokéBall stopped moving and let out some sparkling glitter. This was the sign that Pidgey's capture was successful and it was now Takashi's Pokémon. With that, the young man walked over towards PokéBall and picked it up from off the ground. He then looked down towards Pikachu and Froakie, who were both looking back at him.
"C'mon you guys…Let's get going."
Following his battle against Pidgey, Takashi spent next several hours tending to Pidgey. With the help of Pikachu and Froakie, the three of them were once again able to treat its wounds. Once they finished, Pikachu and Froakie went on the lookout for any wild Pokémon or Trainers that may approach them. Although they would normally be eager for battle, the two of them knew that now wasn't the time for that. The only thing that mattered right now is Pidgey's treatment and they were determined that it got plenty of rest.
Soon enough, as the sun began to set, Takashi noticed that Pidgey was beginning to regain consciousness. When it saw him again, Pidgey was once again taken aback and almost prepared itself for battle. Fortunately, before it could do so, Takashi calmly presented a berry to Pidgey, causing it to stop.
"Please wait…" He said to it. "Trust me…I'm not your enemy."
Letting out a small smile, Takashi gently nodded his head at Pidgey in order to assure it that he was telling the truth. The Flying-Type then watched as both Pikachu and Froakie got on Takashi's shoulder and smiled at it as well, showing Pidgey that they felt the same way. Once it saw that, Pidgey finally realized that three of them were not its enemy and that they could be trusted. With that, it promptly ate the berry that it was presented with.
As Pidgey continued eating, Takashi took a moment to examine the Pokémon again. He still wondered how it got hurt earlier and why it seemed so angry and determined. It was clear that something bad happened to Pidgey, but he had no idea why that was. So, just as Pidgey finished eating, the young man decided to ask his newest Pokémon about it.
"So Pidgey…What happened to you? Is something wrong?"
Upon listening to Takashi's concerns, Pidgey immediately thought about what happened earlier with Kaze and his Fearow. Just thinking about that battle caused its blood to boil. However, that battle also caused Pidgey to realize something. Ariel and the other Flying Pokémon were still back there and in trouble. This caused Pidgey to let out a frantic scream before taking off for its home.
"Hey...Pidgey!"
Almost on instinct, Takashi grabbed Pidgey's PokeBall and prepared to return the Pokémon back to it. Before he could do so however, Froakie immediately stopped Takashi by throwing a piece of her Frubbles at his head. When he turned to face her, Takashi saw that Froakie was telling him not to recall Pidgey. Instead, she wanted him to follow after it. Although he was confused at first, Takashi decided to trust in his Pokémon's judgment. With that, he chased after Pidgey while both Froakie and Pidgey follow close behind.
Soon, after about 20 minutes of running, Takashi soon found himself at Pidgey's nest. Right away, the young man took notice of all the destruction and realized that whatever happened here was the cause for Pidgey's injuries. Now the only questioned that remained is who was responsible for all this.
While Takashi attempted to piece this situation together, the Pokémon suddenly picked up on something from behind them. As they turned to face it, Takashi took notice of them and soon saw that they were looking at some moving bushes. Right away, he thought that whoever was in those bushes was behind the attack thus he promptly prepared himself. After a few more seconds of waiting, the group watched as a young woman suddenly emerged from the bushes.
The young woman was none other than Ariel, who looked very worn out. Her hair was messed up and she had several scratches all over her body. When she first saw Takashi, Ariel immediately assumed that he was with Kaze and prepared herself for a fight. However, all that changed after seeing Pidgey fly up to her. Upon seeing it and realizing that it was hers, Ariel became teary eyed as she held it close.
"Oh thank goodness!" She said with relief. "I'm so glad you're alright, Pidgey."
As Ariel continued to embrace Pidgey, Takashi and his Pokémon simply looked on at the two of them. It was obvious from their interaction that they knew each other and it made Takashi wonder if Pidgey was actually Ariel's Pokémon. If that were the case, the young man realized that he might have a problem on his hands due to the fact that he caught Pidgey. Despite that though, he decided to worry about that later. For now he was simply happy to see that Pidgey found someone it knew.
Eventually, after she finished her embrace, Ariel noticed the bandages that were covering Pidgey's body. Upon looking back at Takashi, the young woman instantly put two and two together and realized that he was the one who helped out her little friend. With that, she quickly made her way over to him.
"Thank you so much for helping Pidgey," She said to him with a smile. "I feared the worst had happened, but I'm glad to see that Pidgey found some help. My name is Ariel and it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Same here…" Takashi replied. "My name is Takashi. So…what happened here? Who caused all of this?"
Ariel paused for a moment as she was reluctant to tell Takashi about what happened early. However, after seeing that helped Pidgey, the young woman concluded that he was someone that she could trust. With that, Ariel decided to explain what happened.
"Well…You see…"
Just as she was about to tell her story, a large gust of wind suddenly appeared from out of nowhere and knocked Ariel down. Acting quickly, Takashi managed to catch the young woman before she hit the ground. He then looked on and watched as a Fearow suddenly emerged from the bushes. Having never seen one before, Takashi quickly pulled out his PokéDex and used it to scan the Flying-Type.
"Fearow, the Beak Pokémon, and the evolved form of Spearow. With its huge and magnificent wings, Fearow can keep aloft without ever having to land for rest. Fearow is a Normal/Flying-Type."
Just as Dexter finished its explanation, Takashi watched as someone else emerged from the bushes. It was revealed to be Kaze and, upon seeing him, both Ariel and Pidgey glared at him with intense eyes. When he saw those expressions, he immediately understood what was going on and so did his Pokémon, who promptly assumed a fighting position.
"So…You're the responsible for all this!" He said in angry tone of voice.
"Indeed I am," Kaze casually confirmed. "The name is Kaze and I'm here for all your Flying Pokémon. I highly recommend you hand them over to me."
Upon hearing Kaze say that, Takashi looked over towards Pidgey and took note of all the bandages that were covering its tiny body. It was at that moment that he realized that Pidgey got hurt trying to defend itself from Kaze and his Fearow. This revelation angered him greatly, prompting Takashi to respond in kind.
"Like hell I will! I'm not going to let you get your hands on Pidgey!"
"…I see," Kaze shook his head in disbelief as a small smirk appeared on his face. "It's you're funeral. Fearow…use Drill Peck!"
Chapter Preview
Going up against Kaze and powerful Fearow, Takashi will have to put everything he learned so far to the test if has any hope of defeating them and helping Ariel save her Flying Pokémon. Will he be able to do it? Also, what about Pidgey? Will Ariel allow Takashi to keep it or will she ask for it back?
Next Time, Chapter 9: The Brave Little Bird – Part 2